1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in an instrument and speaker lift stand for a musical instruments and sound speakers. More particularly, the present musical instrument stand is a collapsible musical instrument stand that rigidly supports a sousaphone and other brass type instruments in an in a stored and in a playable position. The lift stand also functions to elevate a speaker with the collapsible stand. The stand supports all or the majority of the weight of the instrument or speaker in a static position to relieve the performer or technician of the weight of the musical instrument or speaker.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Several products and patents have been. Exemplary examples of patents covering these products are disclosed herein. Musical instrument stands are desirable for supporting various articles and instruments since they provide selective height adjustment and a stable support. They are particularly useful is supporting such things as cameras, video equipment, telescopes, surveying instruments, and musical instruments. Musical instrument stands for brass instruments, however, raise special problems when used on steps or stairs of an auditorium or stadium.
There are several patents that describe various adjustable musical instrument stand devices. Bruneau U.S. Pat. No. 1,517,825 shows a tripod support for a table having adjustable legs.
This invention is an improvement over the inventor's, May, U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,910. The US patent office has issued several musical instrument stands to May that disclose and provide support for musical instruments namely U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,438,266, 7,588,228, 7,703,725 and 7,718,878. It is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by an adjustable musical instrument stand with independently adjustable legs which comprises a longitudinal extensible upright portion of telescoping tubular members, a plurality of collar members slidably mounted on the upright portion which are longitudinally adjustable relative to one another and to the upright portion for selective positioning thereon, and a plurality of movable leg members are operatively connected to upper and lower collar members for selective independent longitudinal positioning and radial extension relative to the upright portion and to one another. One leg of the musical instrument is adjustable in length, a sufficient amount, to permit support on two different stairs or steps of an auditorium or stadium.
Boehm, U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,130 discloses a holding device for surveying instruments which includes a channel-like mounting bracket with a pair of instrument gripping clamps and a pair of adjustable legs thereon which cooperate with the instrument to form a musical instrument type support for supporting the instrument in a reference position.
When the upper leg supporting collar and the corresponding lower collar are moved toward each other on the upright portion, the bottom of the leg connected thereto will be extended radially outward to be positioned an unequal distance from the center of the upright portion relative to the other legs, and the upper leg supporting collar and the corresponding lower collar are moved away from each other, the bottom of the leg connected thereto will be drawn radially inward to be positioned an unequal distance from the center of the upright portion relative to the other legs. The one adjustable leg of the musical instrument allows the stand to be erected on multi-level surfaces.
Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.